Three's a Crowd
by nighners
Summary: AU. Story about how Andrea and Mike will deal with the aftermath of their one night together when Mike's family is still alive and well..
1. Chapter 1

This storyline originates from the 'Changing Moments' -story (Ch. 2, 7 & 10). I felt this piece haunting me in the back of my mind and so I ended up continuing this storyline in a story of its own. Hope you enjoy it and leave a comment if you wish me to continue it. :)

In short: During the trials it was discovered that Andrea was pregnant too..

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

x

 _St. Louis, two weeks after the Nathan James made port._

Andrea opened her eyes when she felt the sunshine reach her face while lying in her bed back in Norfolk. She looked around and recognized her bedroom in her old house. It was all very real to her in the moment and she began thinking if the pandemic had just been a very sick and twisted nightmare her own mind had cooked up. She got up from bed, wrapping her morning gown tightly around her as she looked outside from the bedroom window.

The street they lived on, was so peacefully still. It was Sunday, everyone was enjoying time with their families. Sun was shining and it would be a beautiful day, she thought. Everything felt so real, even the smell of fresh pancakes greeting her nose as she hopped lightly down the stairs. She entered to the kitchen where Lily was already eating a batch of pancakes with syrup and sugar. She walked over to her, placing a kiss on top of her head, taking in the flowery scent in her hair.

"Good morning mom." She heard Lily say and she smiled as she turned around to give her husband a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning." Bill said turning the pancake on the fryer.

Andrea walked to the fridge and opened it. The cold air escaping felt like it went right through her. Suddenly the sunny and bright day had turned into a thunderstorm. Flashes from lightnings hit against the windowsill and she turned around only to notice the room empty.

"Bill? Lily?" She looked around but no one was there. What happened? She took a few steps to the doorway and heard the wooden floor creak under her. It was starting to feel like in a horror movie and she had a bad feeling about this. Her heart was pounding and she was afraid to look around the corner. She closed her eyes and paced herself to just take a peak, but as she opened her eyes she let out a frightening scream as she saw her husband with blood on his face, just like in the death of the Red Flu.

Andrea found herself sitting on her bed. She wiped her forehead, her skin was sweating. Her breathing was hurried. She glanced around in the hotel room. 02:34 was the time on the clock. She placed her hand on her chest and took in a few breaths. It was only a dream. Just a dream.. She felt like crying as she thought about her dream. It had been so real, to wake up in her old house that she had with Lily and Bill. To smell the pancakes he used to make every Sunday when she was home.

She got startled even more and let out another low scream as she heard a knock on her door.

"Andrea?" She heard Kara's voice through the door and she wiped the tears from her eyes and got up. She rushed to open the door and saw Kara look at her all worried. She must've heard her screaming in her sleep. The walls in the hotel they were occupying at the moment weren't thick.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah.. I just had a nightmare. That's all." Andrea explained, trying to hide the fact that she felt scared right now. Even if it had just been a dream.

"You need company?" Kara asked and Andrea let her come in.

They sat on the bed as Andrea shared her dream with Kara, eating sugar coated cereals as a snack since they both felt hungry.

"You miss them." Kara took hold of her hand giving her a gentle squeeze and she smiled faintly.

"In the dream I smelled Lily's hair, the flowery scent she always has after a shower.." Andrea heard her voice break and Kara leaned in to hug her.

She was too emotional right now to stop the sobbing wave coming, but she knew Kara wouldn't mind.

The next time she woke up, it was already morning and she heard a knock on the door again. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Kara sleeping beside her. She had stayed and kept her company, and they had fallen asleep.

She got up and put on a morning gown as she walked to the door. Not sure who to expect. She opened the door and saw Mike with a tray of food. She was surprised of this gesture, he hadn't really been this attentive to her because of Christine. She let him in and he placed the tray on the tiny couch table. Glancing at the way where Kara was sound asleep on the bed under the covers.

"Why is Kara sleeping here?" Mike asked in wonder as he took the liberty to sat down on the couch, beside Andrea.

"I.. I had a nightmare and she heard me screaming." Andrea explained feeling a little embarrassed.

"Oh.. You could've come to me." Mike said as he met Andrea's gaze.

"I didn't think of that, and I thought that since you're still trying to patch things up with Christine it wouldn't be wise to have you spend half the night in my hotel room." Andrea explained and picked a few grapes from the tray and began eating.

"Maybe you're right but I still want to be there for you. You're a close friend."

Andrea nodded as she continued eating the grapes in her hand.

"About Christine.. There's a cargo plane heading for Norfolk in a few days and I'll be on it." Mike began telling and suddenly Andrea understood why he had come with a tray of food. He felt bad about leaving her here when he was going back to Norfolk. Back to his wife and family.

They hadn't really discussed about the logistics around having a baby together just yet. After their first stop in Norfolk, the James had sailed on and there hadn't really been any time to properly discuss about her being pregnant, about Christine being alive along with their daughters Sophie and Laura. The Immunes had made sure that they had their hands busy.

"You don't have to feel bad about leaving." She smiled warmly at him and met his gaze and saw from his eyes that he felt relief when he heard her words.

"I know you love Christine and want to try and fix your marriage. It won't happen if you're here and she's in Norfolk."

"I won't be gone long. I still have tasks I need to take care here." Mike stated as if he was trying to reassure her that he wasn't abandoning her, but if he and Christine would manage to talk things through and she would forgive him for their mistake in the Arctic.. She knew she was going to raise this child on her own. Mike would of course come and visit them, and eventually their child would probably spend time with Mike and his family.

 _Mistake.._

 _She remembered the moment where he pulled slightly away from her embrace and landed a wet kiss on her cheek. In the moment that kiss woke her need for contact with another human being. And as she turned to face him, she slowly but surely kissed him, knowing fully that it was Mike she was kissing and not her husband. But in the moment she had felt she needed him in a way she never had thought she would have him. The following morning they had talked about their night together, agreed that it had been a mistake. But in the aftermath she stopped regretting that night when it had given her something she had just lost. A child. She had lost Lily, she wasn't there to protect her, and now the child she was carrying was more precious to her than anything. She would have a child in her arms again. So the night might have been a mistake at first but now it was so much more than a mistake._

 _She still remembered his words to her when he told her she was pregnant. She heard from the sound of his voice that he was being caring, using her first name and she felt upset that he might be bringing up their night together, when they both had agreed that it had been just a moment they both had needed then and there._

 _What she wasn't expecting was to hear the words 'Andrea, you're pregnant' coming out of his mouth. She had looked at him with her mouth slightly open as she tried to figure out whether he was just joking with her. But she knew Mike, he wouldn't joke about this._

" _What?"_

" _Dr. Scott found out about it during the trial." She heard him explain how he knew about her being pregnant before she even had a clue of it._

" _Is she sure?"_

" _She's sure." He had nodded and she smiled while placing her hand on her lower belly. She was overwhelmed of the thought of being pregnant again. This was a welcome surprise in the darkening horizon for her. Her body wasn't ovulating every month and it had required quite the planning to have Lily when she was in the Navy and not around every month to conceive a baby. But her joy was short when she realized what this meant for them._

" _This complicates things."_

" _Yeah, it does. But we're just going to have to own up to our mistake." She felt Mike's strong arms around her as she thought about what they would find back home. If their families were still alive and if they were.. How could they tell them this?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

x

Mike walked towards the parking lot on the rather deserted Norfolk base. There was still a lot of issues to be handled to get the base operational again. He saw Christine drive up with their car and was glad she had gotten the message he had send to her.

He stepped inside the car noting that it was empty, besides Christine on the drivers seat.

"Where are the girls?" Mike asked in wonder.

"Their with a friend. I wasn't sure if you were coming." He heard her cold reply.

He sighed and thought about if their marriage was going to work. From her cool greeting he figured he was in the doghouse.

They drove to a park near the house they had lived on, where Christine was still staying with their daughters.

"I thought we should talk before going to the house." Christine gave him a glance before stepping out of the car into the cold winter weather.

Mike followed her, slowly walking a step behind her like a shadow. She had her arms crossed over her chest and her entire posture was telling him to keep his distance. He wasn't sure how to talk to her, suddenly she seemed to be further away from him than before. Even though they had problems already before he was deployed to the Arctic.

"Are the girls excited to see me?"

"I didn't tell them that you're coming. I couldn't be sure if you really would show up." She explained and he wondered what was behind her behavior.

"Do you have any idea how it was like for us?" She met his gaze and he opened his mouth a little, but there were no words. He didn't have the faintest idea how they had it when he was in the Arctic.

"First it was cases in Africa and Asia. Places that felt so distant to us.."

"But when the virus had its outbreak across the entire Europe.. It somehow became more real."

"I tried to get a hold of you. Tried the Navy, even called the Pentagon, but there were no answers. All I knew that you were up in the Arctic somewhere."

"And then Lucas died.. Our boy.. I was all alone, didn't know if you where alive or dead. I was alone Mike."

Mike listened silently, devastated about what she was telling him. He hadn't lived through the hysteria the outbreak of the virus had caused, they had.

"And our daughters waited every day for you to come, but you never did. They hoped you would come and get us." She started to cry as she thought about the past.

Mike felt his heart heavy as he saw her distraught about it all. But he wasn't entirely sure if she would want him embracing her.

"So.. That's why you didn't tell them I was coming now? Because if I wouldn't show up.." Mike thought about her words.

"I'm here now."

"Are you?"

"Well, I still have things to take care of in St. Louis but.." Mike began telling but it seemed like Christine wasn't hearing him.

"You mean Andrea?" Christine gave him a look of disappointment and he wasn't sure what to reply.

"We haven't discussed about stuff just yet." Mike said unsure how to approach the matter. The James was currently under massive repairs and wouldn't be budging for a few months. Tom had been appointed as a CNO so he would be occupying St. Louis for the time being as he would be working closely with the President. Mike himself had gotten his own command as he was to be the commanding officer of the James.

"I came here to talk with you. I still want to try and fix us."

"I'm not so sure there is us to fix." Christine stated with sadness in her voice and Mike sighed. The moment he had told Christine about Andrea back when they first docked in Norfolk, he had seen that she had given up hope for their marriage. She didn't have the spark in her eyes to fight for them anymore.

"And even if we manage to solve our problems.. What are we suppose to say to the girls? How are we going to explain to them that daddy has another child with another woman?" Christine asked frustrated by the situation Mike had gotten them into.

"I don't know." Mike answered honestly and turned away from his wife a little and looked around the park, remembering how happy they had once been here. Here he had taught each one of his kids to ride a bicycle, he smiled at the faint memory of standing behind them as they proudly went on with the bicycle.

The cold air was getting to them and they drove to the house. Christine remained still and he wondered if he could manage to make things right. But he felt she would have to meet him half way.

The girls were overwhelmed to see their father again and as he got a big hug out of his two daughters, he saw the unhappy face Christine wore as she began the dinner preparations.

* * *

Mike laid down on the bed that used to be his sons. It had been a long day and he was dead tired. He wasn't surprised that Christine wanted him to sleep in Lucas's room, but he went with her wishes. He didn't want to pressure her into anything, definitely not when she didn't seem to want him near her. And could he blame her? He had broken her trust and he had to earn it back. Hopefully there was a chance for that.

He looked around in the room, it was exactly like he remembered. He turned to the side and saw the little brown haired boy lying beside him, looking at him.

" _What's wrong daddy?" Lucas asked with a voice filled with worry._

"You're not here. I miss you buddy." Mike answered feeling his heart ache at the thought of his son.

" _Don't cry, I'll always be here." Lucas reached to place his hand on his chest, right above his heart._

Mike moved to place his hand on top of his sons only to realize that his mind had played a cruel trick on him. There was no little hand on his chest. His boy was gone. Tears came down on his cheeks as he thought about his boy, thought about his marriage with Christine, thought about his two girls, thought about the baby Andrea was carrying. _His baby._

His thoughts wandered between his family and Andrea. How on earth would they juggle through this thing?

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Thank you for the reviews! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _x_

 _Mike woke up when he felt an arm land on his firm stomach. He kept his eyes closed, for him it suddenly felt like any other morning back home in Norfolk in his own king size bed. He slipped his fingers along the arm, caressing the skin in a light manner. Feeling a smile on his face as he thought about what the next move would be. He waited in expectation as he was hoping for his better half to wake up and place some hot kisses on his chest and neck. But when this didn't happen he whispered her name.._

" _Christine.."_

 _The slight "Mhm" sound coming from beside him told him two things: It didn't sound like Christine and the words "Yes, Mike?" certainly wasn't from Christine._

 _He opened his eyes bluntly and gazed around in the room. He was in his cabin back on the James. His gaze wandered from the clothes lying on the floor towards the woman laying in bed with him. He rubbed his face with his free hand and noticed the red haired woman sleeping over his other arm. What had he done? Was the only thing going through his mind when he realized what had happened._

" _Andrea.." He tried to whisper and the ship's trusty Chief Engineer lifted her head and slightly opened her eyes as she met his gaze. She then briefly stared down on his body and hers. The shock was clear on their faces as they pondered over the fact that they had indeed had sex together. And if he remembered correctly, it hadn't been only once. His eyes got momentarily fixated on her small and round boobs which he recalled to have had in his mouth.._

" _Eyes up here, sailor!" He was startled by Andrea's sharp voice telling him to point his eyes somewhere safer._

 _Andrea placed herself on her knees as she covered herself with the blanket and Mike got up, noting that he was missing something important. His boxers were somewhere on the floor. His eyes didn't find them fast enough so he would just have to be freeballing it until he was left alone. So he got up in his full height and somehow felt like he was being watched as he put on his pants._

 _He turned around as he found his t-shirt and got dressed, noting that Andrea seemed to be in a world of her own._

" _Hey, eyes up here!" Mike snapped his fingers and raised his eyebrows at her. Noting that she had been caught doing the exact same thing as he had been doing a few minutes before._

 _Andrea cleared her throat a little before trying to get dressed. Mike picked up her clothes and threw them on the bed. He turned his back at her and stood there, feeling rather uncomfortable in the moment._

" _So.." He started._

" _This was nothing more than a mistake. Ok?" He heard Andrea's voice state and he felt like this was a conversation they needed to have face to face, but right now he couldn't turn around even though he had seen her naked._

" _It might have been a mistake, but it was nice." He let out with a heavy sigh and turned around as he heard her be ready in getting her clothes back on. Seeing from her face that she knew what he meant, it hadn't just been about the sex, the act. It had been about two people needing desperately to reach out to someone in the middle of chaos._

" _I know. I..." Andrea began to stay and he felt like hugging her but as he closed the gap between them, she thought he was going in for a kiss and so his lips met with hers for one last time.._

"When did it happen?"

Mike sat in the living room at his and Christine's house. He stared at the emptiness in front of him and wondered how long had he been sitting there in his thoughts. Thinking through the night and morning he and Andrea had shared almost four months ago.

Then he met eyes with Christine as she had asked him a question. _When did it happen._

"It was after I had talked with you.." Mike's voice was barely hearable as he had to admit to his wife that he had betrayed her after their phone call. A phone call that from Christine's part had been filled with disappointment and anger. He hadn't been there to support her when Lucas had died, he hadn't been there to grieve with her. He hadn't been there at all.

He was surprised that Christine kept calm after his reply. Perhaps it had something to do with her friend Alice that had kept company to the girls and was watching them now as well. He had seen the two of them talk earlier the day and it had seemed rather tension loaded talk.

"Did you give up hope for us?" He heard her ask but didn't quite understand what she was referring to.

"No, of course not! I mean our marriage was what it was when I left for the Arctic, but.. I hoped, tried to keep the hope alive that you and the girls were safe." Mike explained.

"But it was difficult at times.." Mike's expression got more sad as he thought about the images from the hospital in Gitmo. How it looked like to be killed by the virus. Still getting chills as he thought about the things he has seen the last few months.

"Why her?"

"You like her?"

He began to feel like he was in a interrogation room, but this time around instead of asking questions he was on the other side of the table.

"She's a close friend and we.. We were talking about our families. Drinking.." Mike said and felt embarrassed like he was admitting to a crime. But wasn't it a crime?

"I.. We held each other for a brief moment and for a second I thought it was you.. And I kissed her cheek.. Then one thing led to other and we.." Mike squirmed as he implied what happened after that.

"Thought it was me?" Christine stared down at the coffee cup she was holding. Still remaining cool about what she was learning.

"I wanted it to be you. I wanted you to be alive still when I got back."

"I'm sorry, Christine. I'm sorry." Mike pleaded and met her eyes and saw the sadness shine through them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

x

"What are you smiling at?" Andrea felt slightly embarrassed that she had indeed confided to Kara about her problem but then again Kara was one of the people who would understand.

"At least you got Danny." Andrea added and Kara seemed to be getting a slight redness on her cheeks at the topic in question.

"Mhm.. That good huh?" Andrea gave her a look and for a split second wondered if she could ask for some hot details but she pushed the thoughts away from her mind and tried to focus on the fact that she was waiting for Mike to pick her up.

"You can ask Mike to help.." Kara hinted slightly and she felt her eyes round as she wondered if she had heard her right?

"Are you serious?" Andrea shook her head in disbelief.

"Just joking." Kara bumped her shoulder and she gave her an amused smile but her mind kept wandering.. Mike had come back from Norfolk without any good answers to the state of his marriage. He had asked Christine to temporarily come and stay in St. Louis so that he could be near the kids, and Christine could help set up a school system and a plan when the schools could open, since she was a teacher. Apparently she had knack for these sort of things according to Mike.

If she was such a problem solving machine, why couldn't she solve the one puzzle right in front of her? Her marriage to Mike? Andrea had thought about if the baby she was carrying was the reason for their tough time, but Mike had assured her that they had already problems from before.

"Here he is." Andrea stated and Kara left her company as Mike's car stopped in front of the hotel they were staying at.

She got in and they drove to the hospital. She was 25 weeks pregnant now and it was their first ultrasound together on land. The hospital had slightly better ultrasound machine than the James, so she was secretly hoping to find out if the baby was a boy or a girl.

She was laying on the gurney with her belly showing as she had rolled up her shirt. Mike was sitting beside her and she sensed he was slightly nervous. She wasn't sure why, it did seem like he was almost afraid to touch everything around him, terrified that he would knock something over in the examination room. The elephant in the room, came into her mind and she couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought.

"You're feeling fine?" Doctor Andrews asked as she turned the probe on her belly.

"Yeah, everything is fine." Andrea answered quickly, mesmerized by the little baby figure moving around on the screen. It had been so long since she had been in this situation before. The picture quality when she was pregnant with Lily had been more like the one on the James. Now it was so smoother.

She felt Mike's hand touch hers on the gurney and she was glad that he was there. That she wasn't alone in the moment. She gave him a slight squeeze and got a brief glance out of him as he met her eyes before returning to the screen again.

"Any cravings?" The doctor asked and Andrea felt like she was red all over her face.

"No." She answered quickly trying to hide the fact that there was a craving of sorts. A BIG craving but she would have to solve that one on her own. But she noticed the smile on the doctors's face and wondered if she had figured out what her craving was.

"It's perfectly normal to be feeling more.."

"Aha." Andrea nodded shortly, cutting off the good doctor before she spilled the beans. After all she had been pregnant before, she knew that what she was feeling was normal and thus didn't feel she needed a reminder of it, especially not in front of Mike, who was her friend. And on top of that, still a married man.

She noticed the slight shift in his posture at the conversation she was having with the doctor and hoped he wasn't uncomfortable about what he was hearing.

"Sex is completely safe and I'm sure.."

Andrea felt like kicking the doctor for not stopping on the subject, but luckily for her Mike got startled over by the topic at hand and managed to knock over a IV stand behind him. _Elephant in the room.._ She felt like covering her eyes with her other hand but she was rescued when the doctor finally said something that was more interesting than her sex life, or lack of her sex life.

"You wish to know the sex of the baby?"

They both nodded and she looked at the screen, feeling Mike's hand squeeze hers even tighter.

"I'm quite certain that it's a girl."

Andrea smiled and gave a shy look towards Mike. He seemed to be happy, almost teary eyed of this moment. But it was a strange moment, here they were, two friends, having a baby in a post apocalyptic world. The first years of the baby's life wouldn't be easy, she thought. And how would they really manage to be parents for her?

* * *

Mike was deep in thoughts about the ultrasound and the news about them having a girl. It had been a joyous moment and to share that moment with Andrea hadn't been entirely off, but it reminded him of a time when he had been to an appointment with Christine. Holding her hand. Never did he think that he would be holding someone else's hand.

They reached Andrea's hotel room and she invited him in. Things had been like this ever since he had returned from Norfolk. Andrea was there for him, he needed someone to talk to and she was there. He just hoped he was there for her too, but not obviously in the way she _needed_ right now, he thought as his mind recalled the awkwardness back at the hospital.

"Were you hoping for a boy?" Andrea asked as he sat on the coach and he smiled.

"I don't mind a girl, you?"

"I don't have any experience about boys, although I could've certainly handled one, but a girl is just perfect." Andrea explained and placed her hand on her belly.

Mike glanced at her and smiled as he noticed the baby kick against Andrea's hand making her look down on her belly and smile even more.

"May I?" Mike wondered and as Andrea gave him the green light, he moved to sit next to her and placed his hand on her belly. Feeling their baby kick right under his hand. A smile escaped on his face as he felt the familiar feeling of amazement inside of him again.

For a brief moment he met eyes with Andrea and there was something in her look, so he leaned towards her and met her soft lips as they shared a kiss.

But the moment was quickly interrupted by her "No, Mike."

"You're married, and I thought you wanted to fix things with Christine." Andrea got up and held her back against him, not wanting to see him just yet. He must've been thinking what the hell he was doing since he was completely silent.

"Why did you kiss me that night?" Andrea turned around and gave him a sharp look, wanting to know why he had done it. Why he had allowed them to go so far? But if they hadn't.. She wouldn't have a child in her belly. She would be alone in this world. Lily and Bill were gone. The hurt of losing her family was still painful. But luckily the little baby girl growing inside of her womb was giving her the strength to live on.

"Why did you?" Mike got up and asked knowing perfectly well what her answer would be. It would be the same as his.

"Isn't it what we want and need right here and now?" He continued to stare her down. He was a fool for thinking that the passion between him and Andrea had just been due to the alcohol and the shock of the situation, but the kiss they just had was a proof of something. There was something there. Something that he hadn't felt before.

But he was married like she said and as much as he wanted to fix things with Christine, it did seem like there was nothing to fix. She was in Norfolk and he was in St. Louis for the time being. Sure he could probably get a task closer to home, but he was now the Captain of the Nathan James and the James was here in St. Louis.

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Thank you for the reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

x

Andrea was lying on her side under the warm covers and she was smiling. It felt nice to be held by someone again and she was enjoying the feeling. But as her mind got around to think about what was going on, she opened her eyes and looked at the clock on the night stand. It was almost 07:00 and she turned slightly to see over her shoulder, who exactly was in bed with her. She couldn't help but smile as she saw Mike's head on the pillow next to hers, mouth open and a small puddle of drool on the pillow. It was definitely not a sight to remember and this was now the third time when he had gone to the bathroom during the night and walked straight into her bed instead of the couch.

She knew he wanted to be there for her, and show he was all in, but this weird thing they had going on, had to stop. Even though for the third time now, she woke up with a smile on her face. Her memories of Bill and him holding her were fading away as the days went by and she felt she needed the closeness. It was probably the hormones kicking in, but she couldn't help but think about the family she had lost. And the family that she would have, although she and Mike were just friends.

Not that they had talked about the future that much.

" _Why did you kiss me that night?"_

 _"Why did you?"_

The words from a few nights before were on her mind as she laid there quietly, thinking about his question. She never gave him her answer. Why did she kiss him back when she knew it wasn't Bill.

 _Commander Mike Slattery_. She has known Mike for a long time as they both have been serving under Captain Thomas Chandler. He's been a friend, a close friend and he has always been there to help her push through the hard times during their deployments. He has always been there to support her, to motivate her when she was homesick. He has always been there. Even when they were back home, it has always been him she called if she had a fight with Bill. He always took her for drinks and talked the argument through with her.

She let out a slight sigh as she knew why she had kissed him back. He was always there for her, no matter what. It made her heart ache as she thought that she hadn't always been there for her own family. She chose the Navy over them and it tore her heart apart right now. Her eyes felt teary and she just hoped she would get it to together before Mike would wake up and see her like this.

She felt him move a bit and what got her to move was the sudden hardness pressing against her lower back. She turned around and gave him a slap on the cheek. Feeling rather blushed at the situation.

He woke up with a start and looked at her in wonder. "What the hell?" Mike rubbed his cheek and she looked at him with sharp eyes.

"You know perfectly well what."

"I was sleeping." Mike said and she had to consider the fact that he hadn't known about what was going on.

"Oh.." If she wasn't blushing before, she was now.

"Care to explain?" Mike looked at her and she was embarrassed. How could she explain to him that his junior part had been 'awake' without him knowing about it. Something that happens with all men, she should have realized what was happening. She was beating herself up in her mind. Apparently her wisdom had jumped out the window the minute she got pregnant.

"It's nothing." Andrea was brushing the covers and avoiding his look.

"Well if you slapped me for it, it had to be something." Mike said honestly. Wondering what was going through her mind, but then again pregnancy did do crazy things to women, he reasoned.

"Well your.." Andrea started, still avoiding his gaze.

"Just never mind. I'm sorry." He heard her say.

"Oh come on. You can say it." He was pushing her buttons, knowing exactly what was the problem here. But it made him smile in secret, to know she was blushed over the situation.

"You're intolerable!" Andrea shoved him a bit on his shoulder and he chuckled. But the laugh was cut short when his mind remembered how he used to joke around like this with Christine.

"What is it?" He heard Andrea's more serious voice this time and he stared at her light blue eyes. Looked at her frizzy red hair that had morning hairdo all over it. He moved his hand under the covers to her belly, tracing the roundness of it. Smiling at the thought that there was baby growing inside of her.

"Mike."

He heard her but remained silent, only giving her a faint smile in return as he thought about everything. He felt her hand on top his as he rested his hand on her round belly.

The warmth spreading through his body when he felt her hand on his, was a strange mixture of excitement, joy and a sign that he needed some beta blockers as his heart was taking extra loops.

It also made him sad as he knew things with Christine were over. Her departing words to him hadn't kicked in before now.

" _It was over long before you left."_ No matter how hard he tried to wish it wasn't, it was.

Suddenly he felt her hand on his cheek and she was looking at him.

"I'm fine." Mike said finally as he came back from his haunting thoughts.

"You?" He asked in return, knowing she was dealing with stuff too.

"You have always been there for me." He noted Andrea's caring words and the tone of her voice gave him comfort.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

x

Andrea walked down the stairs to the breakfast area at the hotel and had a girlish smile on her face. A smile she hadn't had for a long time. It was that smile when something was still new and exciting, before a relationship got more familiar, comfortable and that first smile changed into a different smile. She bit her lip with thought as she reminisced back to the early morning and how Mike had looked sad. She was sure he was thinking about Christine at the moment, trying to find his footing in the situation they were in at.

" _You have always been there for me." Andrea looked at him and saw that her words had a positive effect on him._

 _He gave her a smile and leaned to kiss her lips. She wasn't sure whether she should allow it, but she held steady and followed his movements with her eyes, and as their lips met, she closed her eyes and let her enjoy the kiss. A kiss that brought warm feelings inside of her, she couldn't help but feel like a teenager with her first boyfriend. Somehow Mike was making her feel like she was experiencing this for the first time, even though her round belly was a proof that they had done much more before. And her pregnant body was starting to feel a craving for something more, something that she knew Mike could definitely deliver, but as their kiss might have gotten slightly out of hand, it was interrupted by Mike's phone and he broke off the kiss with a grunt as he got up and went to see who was calling him._

It had been Tom, insisting a meeting about a plan to spread the cure. She saw that Mike had trouble leaving her after their shared kiss, but she hoped they might have a new moment later. Even though she did wonder if this was something they should rush into. He was still married, and who knew when he could get a divorce, and even though his relationship with Christine might be over, there was still emotions to be dealt with. He and Christine had after all been married for over 10 years and had three kids together. And she was still grieving for the loss of her husband and daughter.

"Just a heads up.." She noted Kara's voice as she saw her come up the stairs and meet her halfway.

"Hmm?" Andrea came out of her thoughts and looked at her in wonder.

"What is it?"

Kara seemed to look slightly troubled and she glanced around but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Christine came with the kids last night." Kara finally said and she understood why she felt nervous of the situation. She wanted her to know, so the news wouldn't come out of the blue to her. After all Kara had sensed that there might be something growing between her and Mike. Something else than a baby.

"She drove from Norfolk?" Andrea asked, wondering how she got here. Kara nodded and Andrea continued her way to the restaurant that served the breakfast of the day. She held her other hand on her belly protectively as she walked to get a tray.

"You okay?" Kara asked after they got seated at a table and Andrea glanced briefly around her, but saw no one. She didn't see Christine. She had to admit to herself that she felt restless of the thought that she was here. Why had she come? To get back together with Mike? She didn't even know if there ever would be something between her and Mike, or if this thing was just a physical attraction. But she couldn't help but feel a slight hope growing inside of her that she and Mike would end up together.

She ate breakfast more silently, half-listening to what Kara was telling her about Danny and just as they were almost out of the dining area, they ran into Christine and the girls.

"Christine.. Nice to see you." Andrea tried to act like she wasn't taken off guard by meeting her in the moment.

"Andrea. How are you feeling? I remember that it's not all peachy being preg.." Christine said but felt she couldn't finish the sentence as she realized who's baby was growing inside of her belly. She couldn't help but glance awkwardly at Andrea's round belly.

"Is it a girl or a boy?" Sophie, the youngest of Mike's daughters asked and she hesitated but gave her answer with a smile "A girl. We found out just the other day."

"Who's we? I thought your family was gone.." Laura asked and Christine bumped her oldest daughter slightly and whispered something to her.

"I'm sorry about Lily and Bill." Laura said in a sad tone. "We lost our little brother too."

Andrea wasn't sure if she could manage more of this strange encounter and luckily for her Kara excused them by telling they had work to take care of.

Andrea and Kara got to the first floor and could hear footsteps behind them.

"The kids wanted to be close to their dad." She heard Christine explain as she rushed to catch up with her and Kara. From the sound of Christine's voice, she sensed that she was trying to calm her down. That it was because of the kids that she was here. But there was nothing between her and Mike, she thought.

"There's nothing between Mike and me." Andrea ended up saying quick in the moment, regretting almost immediately what she had said. But there was a flicker of joy on Christine's face as she said the words. Was she hoping there still might be a chance for her and Mike?

* * *

Later in the evening Andrea heard a knock on her door and went to open it.

Staring at Mike, she didn't know what to say. He looked rather guilty, she wasn't sure why.

"I heard about your talk with Christine." He started with a heavy voice.

Andrea walked to the middle of the room and just listened to Mike. He came in and closed the door.

"I can't be with you." Andrea let out and turned to face him. She saw that he was puzzled by her words.

"It's not that I don't feel the attraction here, but as long as you have unfinished business with Christine, I can't allow myself to be in the middle." Andrea added quickly, hoping Mike would understand what she meant.

"Christine said she's here because my kids want to be near me."

"She's the one who said everything is over. She doesn't want me." Mike explained.

"I told her that there's nothing between you and me.. and I saw it on her face." Andrea told him and hesitated to move on.

"She was relieved to hear it from me." Andrea said and Mike sighed at the situation.

"Was it true? What you said to her?" Mike asked in a melancholic tone and she thought about her answer.

If she said 'yes', it would mean she would have to move on, and possibly give them both more heart ache and trouble. Not to mention awkward moments as they would still have to communicate. They were despite of everything going to have a baby together.

If she said 'no', she would be putting Mike in the middle of her and Christine. And she didn't want to take him away from his family if there still might be a chance that he could make things right after all. Would he even choose her over Christine? The fear of being rejected was even higher in her thoughts. Would she have chosen Mike over Bill if the situation was reversed?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

x

Mike knocked on Christine's door and she opened the door a little. The kids were asleep so she came out to the hallway, still holding the door open a bit.

"Why did you come? When I asked you back in Norfolk to come and stay here, you were against the idea." He asked.

"Sophie and Laura wanted to see you. They miss you." Christine crossed her arms over her chest and seemed slightly nervous.

"And you?" Mike asked as he locked eyes with her and noticed that she was stunned by his direct question. But he had to know. He was too old to play games, do the eenie-meenie-miney-mo thing.

"Just answer me this, do you still love me?" Mike added since Christine still remained silent.

"I.." She started to say but her eyes searched refuge somewhere behind him and he let out a sad sigh and turned to walk away. His heart broke in the moment. It _was_ over between him and Christine.

"So this is it?" He heard from behind his back and he scoffed as he turned around.

"If you can't even look me in the eye and tell me that you still love me, what do you expect?" He fired at her.

"Besides, it was you who said it's been over long before I left." Mike added, remembering all too well what Christine had told him back in Norfolk.

"So are you and Andrea together now?" Christine asked and he shook his head slightly, was this a competition about who got him?

"No. We are not. Perhaps I'll be on my own for a while. Figure out what it is I want." Mike said with honesty and left Christine standing there by herself.

He walked past Andrea's door and stopped in his tracks. Staring at the 513 number on the door. He almost moved to knock on the door, thinking how he would kiss her senseless when she would open the door and take her to bed. Something he's been thinking a lot lately, but he sighed as he knew he couldn't do that. He had to clear his head first, spend some time alone and he wasn't sure if Andrea felt something for him either. She had after all stated to both him and Christine that there was nothing between them.

* * *

That night she was alone. She had given Mike her answer and witnessed as he left the room quite upset. It had been an answer he didn't want to hear. But she felt she had to say 'yes', even if she had started to feel something for him. Something that went beyond friendship.

She stared at the ceiling and felt sad but then her baby gave her a kick and she smiled. She wasn't alone, perhaps their baby was trying to tell her that. She wasn't alone, she had her.

The following morning she woke up, got dressed and found herself eating breakfast downstairs. She saw Mike walk briefly through the lobby, towards the car park. Off to work, she thought. She did wonder how things between them would be now. Probably awkward, just like she had predicted.

She had been supervising the repairs on the James all day and was completely tired when she got back to the hotel later in the evening. She took a shower and had just sat down on the couch with her legs up when someone knocked on the door. She tried to remember if she had locked the door, but perhaps her hormone filled brain had made a slip tonight so she hollered loud enough "Come in!" And hoped it was someone she knew.

The door opened and Mike walked in. They hadn't seen each other since he walked away the night before and she wasn't sure whether it was a good idea that they would talk now.

"Hi." Mike said shyly as he closed the door.

"Hey." Andrea looked at him, somehow he seemed sadder this time around and her heart was telling her to just forget everything around them and just tell him how she felt about him.

Andrea gave a slight massage to her legs as Mike slowly moved towards the couch.

"I can help you with that." Mike said and she stopped for a moment. It would feel amazing if someone else would give her feet a massage and for some reason she knew they both needed it. He needed to feel like he was needed and she.. Well she needed a foot massage right now.

He sat on the couch with her, her feet on his lap and began gently massaging her feet.

"Something on your mind?" Andrea asked as she leaned against the arm of the couch. Almost closing her eyes as she felt like she was getting a spa treatment.

"It's over, between me and Christine." Mike gave her a hesitated glance and she felt her heart stop. Had he walked away from Christine? For her? Or was there another reason?

But before she could even get her thoughts together he continued on "She couldn't even look me in the eye and say she loves me." Mike's voice broke a little and she didn't know what to say.

After a moment of silence she gently said "I'm sorry." She knew it probably wasn't her fault, but her being pregnant wasn't helping the fragile situation either.

"It's not you. Well, our night together might have rushed things further, but it's not because of you." Mike added force in the words 'it's not you' and she felt a little better, however the guilt wasn't going away that easily.

"So what happens now?" She asked wondering about why he had walked away from his marriage.

"I'll spend some time alone. Clear my head." Mike answered and focused on the foot massage he was giving her. Avoiding her gaze. She did feel a sting of ache as she thought if she should come clean to him. Tell him that she wanted to give them a try. But perhaps it wasn't what he needed right now. _Clear his head_. It wouldn't serve well if she would tell him about her feelings right now.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

x

 _May 2015 - 32 weeks pregnant_

Andrea took a deep breath in as she stood behind the door of Commander Mike Slattery, now the Captain of the Nathan James. She glanced at the report on her hands, the ship was all repaired now, although the thought of sabotage had crossed her mind just to prevent the Nathan James from leaving. But luckily she didn't have to resort to sabotage since spare parts for a Navy destroyer wasn't around every corner.

But the Nathan James would be leaving come Monday on its journey to spread the contagious cure, catching up with the USS Hayward and Shackleton. Still, she couldn't help but feel worried, Mike was leaving with the ship. Leaving her behind since she couldn't leave due to her pregnancy. Would he even make it back for the birth of their child? A brief memory came to her mind as she remembered how Bill had been there for her. To hold her hand when Lily was born. Now there was a risk that she would be alone. Although she had a suspicion that Kara would insist on being there. She and Danny had moved out of the hotel, to a house on a nearby neighborhood since she was now acting as the Deputy Chief of Staff to President Michener. Making roots for the time being here in St. Louis.

She came back from her thoughts and knocked on the door.

A simple "Come in" was what she heard so she went in and closed the door after her.

"Sir, here's the engineering report. I'm happy to inform you that the ship is in tip-top condition." Andrea handed the report over to Mike who was sitting behind his desk.

"Try not to break it." Andrea tried to lighten up the mood. After months, she still wasn't sure how much time alone Mike required. She hadn't told him about her true feelings, waiting for the right moment, but when was the right time to tell him that she actually had a thing for him?

Mike chuckled, amused by her comment.

"Who got the XO position?" Andrea asked. A position that would have been hers if she wasn't pregnant at the moment.

"Cameron Burk, Carlton's brother." Mike placed the report on his desk and got up to stand before her.

"You miss it?" He suddenly asked, throwing her of the track she was trying to maintain.

"Miss what?" She smiled in wonder, glancing at him as he studied her with a mysterious smile on his face.

Miss kissing you - Yes. Miss being held by you - Yes. Miss feeling your touch - Yes. Miss making love to you - Definitely YES. She went through the list in her mind and was dropped down from her dreamy thoughts as he said "The sea? Miss being out there?"

"I'm Navy. What do you think?" Andrea answered with lightness, feeling like she was a school girl talking with her crush. It was a strange feeling. A feeling she wanted to explore more with him.

"I just hope you get back before.." Andrea changed the subject, her voice more serious this time around as she placed her hand on her belly.

Mike knelt down in front of her and placed his hands on both sides of her very pregnant belly and said in a authoritative tone "Listen up Lucy. This is a direct order from your commanding officer. You are not allowed to come out before Daddy is back." Andrea had trouble keeping a straight face as she began giggling at his gesture. It was these sort of moments that made her like him even more. She unconsciously stroked Mike's hair on the side which got him to raise himself up and look at her in wonder.

"You think she will obey the orders?" Andrea was quick to say before he would confront her about something. She felt her heart racing as he had just given her a look of hope. Was he hoping she wanted more? After all they hadn't spoken about his feelings either since that night. Perhaps he wasn't interested in her anymore. Perhaps that's why she had such a hard time finding the right moment to talk to him.

And then there was Christine and the kids. She had noticed how Mike was acting around his family. It was like they still were a family. Somehow Christine was treating him differently, or perhaps they had just grown to be more friends than lovers, but they knew each other inside out, so it might be easy for them to just slide back to their routine as a married couple.

"She better." Mike said and cleared his throat a little.

"Are you going to be fine?" He asked in a worried tone.

"Yeah. I've got Kara, and Tom is here." Andrea nodded trying to assure Mike.

* * *

 _Sunday night_

Mike had packed his bag for the upcoming trip and he was all tucked into bed at 22:00. He had spent the evening with his kids, playing board games and winning just to annoy his oldest daughter. Christine had been there too, it had felt like a normal Friday night back in the day, just missing one person. Lucas. He thought of his brown haired boy and felt the familiar ache sting in his heart. He missed him. Missed his laugh.

His thoughts moved on to Christine and how it was strange that somehow after it was clear they weren't together anymore, things got easier. Simpler. They were even talking about all kinds of stuff. She was telling him about her efforts to open the schools and he could see she was happy to help. But then his mind wandered onto to Andrea. That red haired, blue eyed mesmerizing woman that kept his heart from beating at times. Like the other day she had caressed his hair, probably out of an old habit, but he couldn't help but wonder if she might want something more than just a platonic relationship.

He turned to his side and saw the clock on his nightstand show 23:05. He wasn't tired. He got up and went to stand by the window. An old habit to check if the town was at peace. But there was nothing out of the ordinary going on, so he walked back to the bed and sat on the edge of it rubbing his face with his hands. Luckily he wasn't steering the ship or else it might just end up on ground on the Mississippi the following day.

He was about to lay back down on the bed as he thought he heard a soft knock on his door. Almost not hearable, but he got up to see what it was about. When he opened the door he saw the familiar frizzy hair of Andrea, noticing how she was walking away in her morning gown.

"Andrea?" He asked puzzled by her behavior.

"Is everything okay? Is it the baby?" Mike continued. A thought of worry was coming over him as he wondered why she was behind his door in the middle of the night.

He saw her turn around and walk towards him, fiddling with her hands as if she was nervous about something.

"The baby is fine." Andrea said and met Mike's gaze.

Mike looked at her as she stood in front of him, his heart was taking some extra loops and he felt jitters in his stomach as he watched this beautiful woman in front of him. He didn't know what it was but something in her eyes was telling him something. So he slowly leaned to kiss her, noticing that she was moving against him like a magnet. And their lips met with a burning desire as he deepened the kiss in a heartbeat. He embraced her as much as he could, the round belly tucked between them. He felt surprised as she was pushing him inside of his room and smiled when he heard the door close behind her.

She was actually going along with this.

"Mike.." Andrea broke off for a moment to catch her breath. After all she had roughly 4 pounds of baby pressing against her lungs.

He kissed her even more as he was afraid that she would pull away and leave him high and dry.

He felt her soft smile against his lips as he continued on with the make out session. Overjoyed of the moment, feeling his heart way too excited.

"I like you." Was the next thing he heard as she managed to broke off from his touch again. He looked at her in amazement for a moment. _She liked him._

"I couldn't let you leave.. without telling you." He followed her eyes as she told him. He noticed the hesitation in her voice and perhaps she had been scared that he didn't want her anymore.

"So your answer that night should have been a 'no'?" He asked and pressed a kiss on her lips before she could answer. Getting only a short nod out of her as he felt that her knees were actually melting in his embrace.

"Are.. you upset?" Andrea asked between the kisses.

His only reply was to pull her with him on the bed. It was the last night before he would leave and he had other thoughts.

"Mike." Andrea was lying beside Mike on the bed, watching him. Her lips felt suddenly very swollen, like she had been using them way too much.

"I'm not upset. My feelings are still the same." He smiled and saw the glow on Andrea's face as she heard him.

"And now.. Perhaps we can fix that craving of yours." Mike leaned in and kissed her.

Andrea was in the shower, still blushing as she thought through the night she had had with Mike. It had been so good, although half of it was probably because of the hormones making her parts way too sensitive. She finished washing her hair and got out of the shower. She was wrapping herself in a towel when she heard voices. It seemed like Mike had gotten a visitor at the door. She opened the bathroom door ever so slightly and quietly to hear what was going on. But before she could listen in on the conversation Mike closed the door and she thought she could just pretend to walk out, like she was drying her hair.

"Who was that?" She asked while drying her hair, wrapped in a towel and startled Mike a bit.

"It was just Laura. Wanted one last hug from her dad." Mike explained, immediately feeling guilty that he had lied to Andrea right now. It had been Christine by his door. Wanting to talk, talk about them. But there was no them, so why the white lie?

"At 4:30 in the morning?" Andrea wondered.

"Well, she knows I gotta get up early." Mike continued on with the white lie, which probably wasn't as white anymore.

He then moved to wrap his arms around Andrea and just looked at her.

"What is this?" He asked in a serious tone and met Andrea's eyes.

"When you get back, can't we give this a go?" Andrea asked all hopeful.

Mike placed a kiss on her forehead with a sigh. Hoping he wasn't screwing things up with Andrea now by lying to her.

"Yes?" Andrea asked.

Mike nodded and placed a kiss on her lips. Waking the need for something more again.

"You know it's only 4:30.." He whispered against her lips and she chuckled softly.

"I like what you're thinking." She kissed him and moved to unravel her towel from around her body.

* * *

I'm wondering a bit.. Do I follow this one through the events on Season 3 or make it completely AU where S3 isn't happening? *thinking*

Thank you for the reviews and your thoughts!


	9. Chapter 9

I hope you enjoy this update and I hope I've managed to combine this to the start of Season 3. If you feel there's something lacking, my apologies.

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

x

It was a month after the Nathan James had left on its journey down the Mississippi, on their way to spread the cure. Solace was all manned and distributing the cure across Europe, USS Shackleton was currently in Asia along with Hayward.

Andrea woke up in the guest bedroom of Kara and Danny, a smile creeping on her face as she was stretching, before she leaned over the edge of the bed and lifted the laptop from the floor. The first thing she did every morning was to check her email. Hoping that there was a email from Mike. Even if it was just a simple 'Good day, how's your day going?', it was still something she was waiting for each morning now, the lack of one made her feel slightly disappointed that he hadn't gotten around to responding her, but could she blame him? He was after all in charge of a entire ship, so perhaps she should give him some slack.

But the baby monitor on the nightstand made a stop in her plans, as she heard a baby cry. She put the laptop aside and left the small guest room. Two weeks after the Nathan James' departure little Franklin "Frankie" Green had decided to come to the world, taking Kara by surprise as she hadn't expected the baby to be born early. She had taken a leave for exactly 10 days, and had already returned to work for half the day. The lack of qualified people was one of the reasons, although Andrea knew that Kara was being far too picky in choosing someone to do her job as she expected them to have control just about everything, the other reason which Andrea only suspected was the fact that Danny was gone. He was miles away from her and she felt a slight connection to him through her job, knowing where he was. Being at the top of the situation. After all this was a new role for her, being the wife who was left behind with a baby.

It was a strange feeling for Andrea as well. She had always been the one to leave and now she was here and her ship had left without her. It felt like a part of her was missing, this was a new way of living, so she understood Kara. And it wasn't the only thing missing, this thing she had barely started with Mike before he left was already causing her to miss him.

Despite of Frankie coming about three weeks earlier than planned, the little baby was doing fine. Sad thing was that Danny had missed the birth of his firstborn. Nathan James had been called to back up the situation in Asia, to help distribute the cure across that part of the world, since the efforts done by the Chinese President weren't enough.

Andrea went inside the nursery and lifted little Frankie to her arms. Looking at the little one with a smile. She couldn't wait to hold her own in a short while. Her due date was on the 27th of June, so she hoped Mike would be home by then. She got to the kitchen and held Frankie as she got the breastmilk from the fridge and began warming the bottle under running warm water. After Frankie had been fed, gotten a dry diaper, she laid the sleeping baby on a bassinet on the living room as she made herself a cup of coffee and something to eat. She finally had a chance to check her email.

She couldn't help but smile when she noticed that she had gotten a mail from Mike.

 _Dear Andrea,_

 _I was debating a long time whether I should write 'dear' instead of the usual hi/hello, but thought it was fitting. We're approaching Vietnam, hopefully we'll be done here as quickly as we can. Can't wait to get back._

 _Green has another thing coming since he already can't control his little rascal as he decided to come earlier than usual. The CNO has made arrangements for him to come home earlier since our mission got extended. Going to surprise him later with the news. I'm hoping our little girl will wait for his daddy, but it's a good thing you taped the birth though, not sure Green's interested in seeing that. I missed Sophie's birth and viewed the tape at a later point, and let's just say, I know why I ain't a OB-GYN._

 _Hope you're holding up okay. I know it must be hard for you being almost alone in a strange town. Moving back to Norfolk sounds like a good plan, it's home_. _We'll have to discuss the logistics later._

 _\- Mike_

Andrea chuckled at Mike's line about the birthing video and felt the compelling need to ask him if he needed a new video, in case he missed Lucy's birth. But his line about discussing the move to Norfolk made her think. She had suggested to leave St. Louis since the Nathan James wasn't here and it wasn't practical to change the homeport from Norfolk to St. Louis even if the President had chosen this to be the new capital of the United States. No, home was in Norfolk, but right now she was helping Kara and maintaining her role as a advisor in case there should be any problems in maintaining the power and such in the city.

She didn't know what he was expecting, they weren't together, at least not officially. They had agreed to give this a try, although it sounded a bit ridiculous that they would be dating, she felt like she was too old to date and they were having a baby together so what kind of dating would it be? But the thought behind his line suggested that he was thinking that they would move to Norfolk together. It might be too much too soon, she didn't want to mess this up before it had a chance to start.

 _Dear Mike,_

 _You know I'm addicted to reading your emails? 'Dear' sounds strange, but I liked it. It made me smile that you would worry about a thing like that. So I gather you're not interested in watching another birthing tape in case Miss Lucy decides to go against your orders and come earlier? *laughs*_

 _I'm at Kara's place right now and helping with Frankie. Debbie had to return to Norfolk to organize some loose ends before she would come back to St. Louis and help with the baby._

 _I hope you're coming back soon. It is a strange place for me to be, alone here, and not being on the ship. It has always been me, who has left and now the situation is completely opposite._ _We'll talk about Norfolk later._

 _\- Andrea_

Kara had gotten home around 13:00 and Andrea returned to the hotel to gather a few things before going back to Kara's again. She just hoped she wouldn't run into Christine. It wasn't like she was deliberately avoiding her, but she felt things were awkward between them. Last time they had seen each other, was on the docks when the Nathan James was sailing off.

 _Andrea had noticed Christine and Mike's farewell and it had made her feel a slight tinge of jealousy as they still seemed to be one big happy family. If she hadn't known better, she would have suspected them to still be together. But she knew Mike was a good guy, he didn't want to be in quarrel with Christine, at least not in front of their children. But the hug Christine gave Mike was something that got her doubting whether he really had left her behind, but the strange look from Mike to her direction made her feel more secure as it was telling her, he wasn't entirely at ease about the fondness he was getting from Christine. Or was it the fact that she was there? To witness it? Like she had been there this morning when he supposedly had his daughter by his door? She had smelled the perfume hanging in the air, recognizing it to be Christine's. But she didn't want to confront Mike about it, she didn't want to leave things between them angry or upset. And since Laura was here now, he must also have figured it out that she knew._

 _And the look from Christine to their way had been weird since Mike had left them and come to say one last thing to Andrea. Choosing to say goodbyes with her as last, and not the other way around. She wondered if that had been a thought through plan or just how the situation floated on._

" _Sorry about that." She heard Mike's voice and smiled uncomfortably. They were at uncharted waters right now. No one knew how to tangle this thing forward._

" _It's okay, Mike. Don't worry about that." Andrea said and held her arms across over her chest. All she wanted was to join her hand with his, but in front of Christine it wouldn't be appropriate. Not yet at least._

" _You take care, okay. And we'll keep in touch." Mike looked at her with a longing in his eyes and the tension in the air was palpable as she met up with his gaze, understanding that his leaving, meant that things were not quite settled just yet, after their night together they had proven that they were more than compatible in physical contact. Very much so. But would this, still fragile thing between them last? Would the feelings still be there when he got back?_

" _We'll be alright." Andrea nodded and to her surprise Mike took her in for a hug. Carefully holding her and she felt happy in his embrace. Sighing as she broke off from him, wanting so badly to just be held by him. A memory of her saying goodbye to Bill coming into her mind as she now knew how he must have felt every time she left on a deployment._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

x

The Nathan James was 45 miles away from Vietnam, Mike sat on the bridge after a short call with Tom over Navy red.

 _Strange forces at work in your part of the world. Until I understand them myself, watch your six._ He looked at the horizon as he pondered over the words his friend had spoken at the end of their call. He couldn't help but feel his gut twist slightly at the words, if Tom was suspicious of something it usually meant there was a reason to worry.

After getting their local guide and a translator on board, Mike stood on the bridge as their local guide was steering them close enough to shore. There were a lot of boats on these waters. Apparently piracy was Vietnam's worst problem, the cure being hijacked before it got to the people on land.

"Tell him to make sure we stay clear. Any of those local tin cans come close to us, we'll cut them in half with the laser." Mike stated, the earlier gut feeling causing a twist inside of him as he thought briefly over Tom's departing words. Was this what he had meant?

"Got it. Hold on." Mike registered Burk's voice from behind him and saw that he had somehow produced a dictionary out of nowhere.

"Oh. Laser." Burk then noted and Mike smiled. _Rookie mistake, son._

"Pew." The imitation sound of a laser made him roll his eyes.

"Don't you have some place to be?" Mike eyed the man while shaking his head slightly. Men, always trying to get the girl, a smile escaped to his lips as he thought that he was one of them and yes, he had tried and succeeded on getting 'the girl' as his mind went to Andrea, but his thoughts were disrupted as there apparently would be a celebration in their honor.

Mike thanked the young woman and the guide for the invitation. Stating that they would come there 'with bells on.'

"I, uh, forget. How do you say your name?" Burk's voice hovered in the air again.

"Ai."

"Ai. That's a beautiful name. You going to the party tonight?" Burk asked and Mike smiled, the man was smitten, or at least he thought he was.

"With bells on."

Glancing at his clock, he wondered just how long this little charade would be continuing. He wanted this to go as efficiently as possible.

His XO was staying on the ship, after Tom's little warning he thought it was best that Cameron Burk would be holding a close eye on the surroundings in case there would be a situation. But before setting his feet on solid ground he managed to get a moment of peace to send one short email to Andrea.

 _Dear Andrea,_

 _We have arrived at Vietnam and the cure is delivered. People are very happy and it looks like they want to give us a celebration for our hard work.._

Mike sighed as he thought about the words he wrote. It was Dr. Rachel Scott who had done all the working. Despite of the rough start, it was she who had not given up on finding the cure, even when the Russians and the Immunes threatened to destroy their plans. She had fought through, _they_ had fought through alongside her.

 _Still difficult to think that she isn't here with us.. Isn't it?_

He wrote, knowing Andrea would know what he meant with it.

 _Anyways.. I'll be home by midnight. And the only girl I'll be looking at is you, in my mind you're there. Wish you were here._

 _Say hello to Kara and Frankie. Danny will be coming home soon._

 _\- Mike_

* * *

Mike sat on a couch in the middle of a dance club. Looking like he didn't belong there. _A dance club?_ Where was the garden party with iced tea? He wondered as he looked around. Seeing his crew dance on the dance floor. Hell, even Jeter was letting himself being charmed by a young woman. This was not what he had in his mind when he had agreed to this celebration.

As he sat there alone, he could very vividly imagine Andrea sitting next to him, and looking at him with those round eyes and a smile on her face. She would be half enjoying that he felt the situation more than uncomfortable, and she would most likely playfully tease him about having a stick up in his ass.

Mike glanced at his clock. _30 minutes and they were out of here_ , he thought and imagined an amused look from Andrea inside of his head. Wouldn't she just be laughing her ass off when she would hear this story?

A moment went by and suddenly there was a pull on his neck from behind him and the only response he got around to say was "Hey, hey, hey" before there was a big wet kiss placed on his cheekbone. "You're cute!" The young woman said before moving onto the next victim.

 _20 minutes_ , he corrected in his mind as this was getting out of hand. He wiped his cheek briefly and in his head he imagined Andrea leaning over to wipe his cheek more as she playfully said "You got a little..". He sweared he could almost hear her giggle at the situation.

His thoughts were interrupted by Danny who slammed himself beside him on the couch, placing his drink of something on the table. Mike moved his eyes slowly from the drink to the man, raising an amused reply from him "Just water, Skipper." _Yeah right._

Mike studied the younger man. Some kind of light thingy around his neck, Green was in on it too? And he's somewhat responsible of the whole bunch. Although violating the frat rules and getting a sailor pregnant was not responsible, but hey, who was he to talk? He had done the exact same thing. Chuckling at the thought, what were the odds of that?

Mike leaned slightly towards Danny and got him to listen. "Lieutenant, we shove off tomorrow. Gassing up at Pho Kong."

"It's all ahead to Okinawa. Be a cargo plane bound for St. Louis there, with your name on it." Mike revealed mysteriously, glancing at the man for a reaction which was pretty much a stunned look.

"Sir.." Danny met his gaze with a asking look.

"Orders from the CNO. You're going home. Be with Kara. Meet your boy." Mike explained and gave the man a smile. Immediately getting a celebratory reaction out of him as he got up from the couch and let out a few happy screams. Mike smiled, at least one of them was going home. A feeling of sadness was creeping over him as he had been waiting for his own command for so long, and the chance to fall in love again with Andrea was definitely something that came as a surprise, a very nice surprise, but it would be difficult since he was most likely going to be away in the start. Would he even get back in time before their kid would be born?

Glancing at his clock, 10 more minutes of this techno music, and they would be shoving off. Feeling more than eager to reach his bunk on the James and call it a night.

The sudden stillness in the air was followed by groaning of the crowd as the music had stopped and the lights were out. _The second time tonight. Time to go_ , he thought as he waited for the van to come.

But as he hoped for the lights to turn on again, he saw their pilot enter the club. "Captain!"

"Something's wrong." He said and before he could do anything, there was gunfire and Lincoln was down. Mike got up and attacked one of the attackers. A useless effort as there were too many, the first guy had been easy to take down, but they quickly outnumbered him, and the tazer gun shot right through his body, taking out the rest of the lights as he lost consciousness.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

x

To Andrea it seemed just like any other day, as far as she knew everything was going fine with Nathan James' mission back in Vietnam. Mike still hadn't answered to her playful email about breaking the curfew. Not that she expected him to write a message to her when he would have gotten back to the ship from the celebratory party, but somehow she thought he would do it just because he wanted to. But as she opened her email on the morning hours, there was no mail from him. The disappointment made her feel slightly blue, that or it was the pregnancy hormones kicking in for the hundredth time.

She closed her eyes for a moment, to think back at a time when she was with him.

 _She still remembered the warm touch she felt on her skin as he caressed her body with his rough hand ever so slightly on the morning of his departure back in May._

 _Letting out a sound of contentment, she smiled and turned her head slightly to see his face as he was holding her._

 _He had smiled back at her and the whole situation had made her feel happy. An emotion she hadn't felt for a long time._

Happy and _guilty_ at the same time, she thought as the memory was suppose to make her feel good, but it brought back thoughts of Lily and Bill. Her mind going even more blue as she thought about her family, they weren't present anymore, but she couldn't help but wonder what would they think of her now? Was she moving on too fast? The rush of emotions brought tears in her eyes as she thought about them. Letting her hand reach to her swollen belly, she felt Lucy kick against her hand. A smile was forming on her face as she was reminded of being alive, soon she would have a baby in her arms again. But the aching hole in her chest was not going away as her thoughts were dominated of the family she had lost.

After she had taken a refreshing shower and dressed herself, she left for a walk. Hoping her mind would come more clearer. Before leaving the safety of her hotel room she checked her email, still no joy from Mike. She couldn't help but feel somewhat letdown that he hadn't answered her email, but she knew he had other pressing matters to attend to.

It was just after midday when she got a message from Debbie stating that Kara was going to come home later than usual that day, giving an vague explanation that something had come up and she was needed at Michener's Office. So Debbie was wondering if Andrea could lend a hand to help her with buying groceries. It wasn't easy to shop with a few weeks old baby that mostly did sleep but usually tended to wake up at the wrong time and wrong place, almost immediately screaming as whatever he required had to be there at that second and not later. So she was more than happy to get her mind off from Mike's absent emails and from the haunting thoughts of her family.

The day went by fast and it was already evening and she was still at Kara and Danny's place. Debbie had insisted that she would stay for dinner, since Kara was a no show. They had gotten another message from her, saying that it was likely that she didn't come home for dinner. Debbie had wondered what on earth was so important that she would stay away from her baby the entire day, but Andrea gave an excuse for Kara, telling Debbie that it might be some conflict in Asia that kept her busy that day, since both Hayward and Shackleton were in Japan as they spoke, and the Nathan James had joined them on the cure spreading tour, starting from Vietnam.

But she couldn't help but wonder if Mike's absent emails and Kara's sudden need to work were related. She texted Kara and asked what was going on, but Kara failed to reply to her.

It wasn't until she got a call from an unknown number that made her more suspicious about the state of things.

"Hello, this is Andrea Garnett." She answered to the call and walked to the living room from the kitchen.

 _"Andrea.. Hi.. It's Christine."_ Stunned to hear Christine's voice on the other end of the call, she was speechless as she didn't know what to say.

 _"I know we haven't spoken for a while, but I wondered if you had heard from Mike? He was suppose to call to the girls and didn't."_

"Ahm.." Taken aback by the sudden question, and information that Mike had indeed skipped a phone call to his daughters, she had a hard time of finding an answer to the question. She didn't have any answers.

"No. Last I heard, he was attending a celebratory party in Vietnam." She hoped she hadn't given out too much information. She didn't know what or when Mike had talked to Christine.

 _"So you don't know anything?"_ The thought behind the question suggested that she might have more intel than she was telling Christine about, but this time around she wasn't on top of things.

"I'm sorry, but I can try and hear if Kara knows something. She works closely with the President." She tried her best to reassure Christine (and herself).

After hanging up the call, she decided to wait for Kara to come home. It was no point in calling or texting her as she would most likely not reply. Suddenly Mike's absent emails and now a phone call, made her feel more uneasy as she caressed her belly, a gesture that made her feel more calmer.

"I'm sure daddy is okay, Lucy." She whispered to herself and looked out the window at the rainy weather they were having now.

* * *

Debbie had gone to bed and Andrea sat on the couch, nervously glancing at the clock. 2230 hours. It wasn't unusual for Kara to be gone the entire day, so she hoped there was an explanation to it. An explanation that had nothing to do with Mike's absent emails and a phone call.

As the doorknob finally twisted around and Kara stepped inside, taking off her high heels immediately so she wouldn't wake up Frankie, Andrea walked to the hallway from the living room and looked at her.

"Kara?" She asked softly and as Kara turned to meet her gaze, the tough exterior was shattered as Kara burst out in tears and rushed to hug her. Baffled by what was happening she took her in her arms and leaned her head on top of hers.

"What's wrong?" She asked, thinking all the possible reasons why Kara was crying right now. A feeling of distress was creeping over her.

Kara's voice was muffled against her chest so all she heard was that something or someone was missing.

"What?"

"They're missing." She heard Kara's words this time around and suddenly everything made sense. _They were missing._ Mike was missing. And the answer to Kara's crying - Danny was missing. Kara managed to fill her in on what was happening even when she wasn't allowed to speak of it, but Kara couldn't keep this from her, they had after all endured so much together.

But the news got even more devastating as she learned that Tom was dead. A statement that didn't really go into her head even if there was proof of it. Their own Air Force Captain had confirmed the voices on the plane Tom was on.

* * *

Andrea stayed awake most of the night, she was too tired to return to the hotel, and too scared to run into Christine, because of the situation she was in right now, she knew Christine could read from her face that something was wrong. Michener hadn't spoken about the missing crew or Tom's death in public just yet. He was hoping to buy time to find some information before he would talk to the press. Get some facts as the press could be ruthless.

Her thoughts wandered during the night - Tom. A fellow sailor, a friend. She has been on the James under his command for a few years now, it was hard to think that he wouldn't be there anymore with his humor filled voice as he would tell her to put down the engineering report, as he had done so for quite a few times in the past.

The Nathan James crew had become a tight knit family after the Arctic, and she couldn't help but feel a weight on her chest, a worry over her shipmates, her _new_ family. She had already lost Lily and Bill, the thought of losing more was frightening. She could still see Andy Chung dying right in front of her back in New Orleans. Hear Ravit and Burk's conversation as they both knew what would happen, both finding the strength to avoid the obvious.

Tears came to her eyes again as she thought about the one person who was missing. One that especially mattered to her. Mike. The logical part of her brain knew that since they hadn't found any bodies, there was no proof that they were dead. A hope was lingering as there still might be a chance. A chance that Mike would come home. Home to her and Lucy.

The rest of the night was only a few bits of sleep, followed by tossing and turning on the narrow couch that reminded her of the cramped quarters on the James. She was awake when Kara left for work early the following morning. She knew Kara must be anxious to find answers, get news that everyone was okay. That this whole thing was just an misunderstanding, although a coordinated attack as they called it, meant it was planned and executed by professionals.

* * *

Debbie had to almost force her to eat something as she felt herself mostly nauseous, probably due to lack of sleep, but as Lucy gave her a good kick on her ribs she got the message that she had to eat. It didn't do any good if she would completely go off the wagon, psyching herself up like she had done many times before to her colleagues, she could handle the situation.

It wasn't until later in the morning that she felt a little better, it was hard to say whether it was the food, or the nap that she had managed to take after breakfast.

But one thing was clear, she couldn't hide at Kara's place forever, she would have to return back to the hotel. She just hoped she had some answers. Something to tell Christine.

She had almost reached the hotel when her phone rang. Almost afraid to take the call, she looked at the screen. Kara.

"Hi." She walked to the side of the entrance and glanced around.

"Any news?" Her voice was rushed, it was hard to keep her feelings at bay right now. She was holding her breath as she waited for Kara's reply. From her voice she could tell that some of the news was joyful, and some were not. She let out the breath she was holding and prepared herself to hear the news.

She closed her eyes as she learned that Tom was still alive, the aching on her chest easing a little as she wasn't grieving for a lost friend anymore. Danny and Carlton were okay too, although Carlton was rushed to the medical bay.

But as far as the good news went, that was it. The bad news.. Mike was still missing along with few others.

After the call she stood a while in front of the hotel and stared at people passing by. Her thoughts were all jumbled. She was happy that Tom had survived and she was happy that Danny would hopefully get to see his son, but the other side of her couldn't help but feel crushed. She caressed her pregnant belly and wondered about the future, a future where exploring a new found relationship might not happen. A future where she would be alone with her child.

The not knowing was eating at her and for the first time she could imagine what everyone had experienced when the pandemic first hit. What Lily and Bill went through before their untimely death. The worry of not knowing where she was, if she was safe, if she had survived.

She glanced at the hotel behind her, she had to tell Christine. It was better that she heard it from her and not from the news.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

x

"I want to talk to the man in charge!" Mike yelled as he supported Mason against his shoulder. The poor kid was barely conscious. The wound on his abdomen severe. Placing him on the floor of their cell, he glanced at the kid.

"Hang in there, Mason. Hang in there, buddy." Mike looked at the young kid and met his gaze as he added one more time "We're gonna get you some help."

"Green got away.." Mason said, his breathing labored.

"Maybe Burk did, too." Mason stuttered, struggling to breath.

"No doubt. Probably back on the James right now." Mike said with a fatherly voice, reassuring the kid.

"They had EMPs. That's how they cut off the comms." Mason managed to say, wanting to focus on something else than the throbbing pain on his abdomen.

"I know, son. I know." Mike said softly as he held his hand.

The blood coming out of his mouth was when he knew Mason was going to die. Sighing heavily as he felt the anger grow inside of him. Yet another life would be lost on their journey. And he didn't even understand why.

The next thing he knew he was being slammed against the wall of the cell they were kept at. They were taking Mason. To help him? To kill him? He didn't know, but he knew that it would be the last time he would get to see him.

His eyes firmly guarded the door where he saw Mason disappear. He heard Miller's optimistic voice saying something about a doctor. But he suspected that wasn't the case. Sighing as there was nothing he could do.

Few hours later, there was still no sign of Mason.

"Who are they?" Rios stilled the puzzling question.

"I don't think they are Vietnamese." Miller said, looking around.

"Seems like a hodgepodge." Mike stated.

"I heard some Thai or Chinese. Chinese writing on the side of the freighter." Jeter stretched his arms as he joined in on the conversation.

Suddenly the familiar sound of someone throwing up came in the mix as Diaz emptied his stomach on the floor of their small prison.

"Hey. Bend your knees, hold them to your chest, close your eyes. Every 60 seconds, open them again for a 5-count. Do it again." Miller knelt down in front of Diaz and instructed the young kid.

The inexperienced kid that Miller was way back before Gitmo, was only a faint memory of what he had become now, Mike thought as he watched the two crewmen.

Five and half hours in to their mystery cruise, it was hard to keep his mind clear. By now people back home must be worried, he wasn't sure of the exact time but he knew he had missed a planned call to his girls. Sighing as he knew Christine would be worried, the radio silence of their previous mission a cruel reminder of how being in the dark feels. He figured that she probably would try and contact Andrea, ask if she knew anything. Leaning his head on the wall of their prison, he closed his eyes.

Andrea..

She would be the first to notice his absence. Knowing all too well how she was waiting for his emails. Not that she would think any of the lack of them, understanding that he had other things to take care of. But he couldn't help but feel tormented by the fact that she was sad, more so when she would find out that he was missing. Not knowing where he was, if he was alive. He just hoped she and Christine would be able to talk together as civilized people. About Andrea he was sure, but Christine might be a concern.

The loud noise of the door opening as food was delivered to them, made him wake up from his trance.

"Filet Mignon and apricots?" Miller looked at his plate with a puzzled look.

The familiar smell of a well cooked steak lingered in the air, but if anything, Mike had lost his appetite for food. But their kidnappers meant business so he had to force the food down. According to Master Chief, the crew only had beans out of a can on their menu.

* * *

The sound of a boat motor whirring was buzzing at his ears like a bug. His hands were tied at the back, a black bag pulled over his head. He only saw small blinks of light coming through the porous fabric, but otherwise he had no idea where they were now.

Suddenly the bag was removed and the bright light stung in his eyes as he tried to get a read on their bearings. There was green wilderness around them, but nothing gave away their location.

His eyesight getting better, he glanced at the armed men ahead, waiting for them. A man at a far distance kept an eye on them, dressed in black. He had a suspicion that this was the man in charge.

"Who is that?" He asked, but received a slap on his cheek for his curiosity.

As he gave a second look towards the mystery man, he was gone. Had he imagined him?

After their journey through the thick jungle they arrived to what he assumed was their camp, but he didn't get to see much of it as the two men escorting them took him away from his crew members.

Suddenly standing in front of a hut, he saw the mystery man again.

"Who the hell you think you are?" Yelling at the man who stood silently in front of him. He wanted answers.

"You speak English?"

"You know what you did? You know who we are?"

"You can't do this!"

"You're wrong, Captain Slattery." The man spoke with a foreign accent. _Oh the man finally speaks!_

"I know exactly who you are." The words of recognition got to him. But still the pieces of the puzzle didn't give him any clear answers to why they had been kidnapped, and brought to this place? But he had a suspicion that he would soon find out as he was taken inside the hut.

Still being held tightly by the two men escorting him, he glanced at the room. A table in the middle with straps to hold a person down, what the hell was going on?

"No, no, no, no.." He tried to fight back.

He took another look at the room to get a bearing on what was going to happen. He saw the empty bag that was used when one was donating blood, in the corner of the room. His mind advancing to all sort of possibilities as he saw more.

"No, no, no."

The items in the room, needles and a fridge, gave him a suspicion about what was going to happen. But why?

As soon as he got his hand loosened, he hit a few punches to the two men restraining him and got the same in return. But there was no way out.

"What the hell are you doing to me? I'm gonna kill you, you son of a bitch!" Mike raged on even when he was lying strapped to the table in the middle of the room.

The next thing he felt was a pinch on his arm.

In his unconsciousness he wandered amongst memories of his loved ones. Remembering how his children used to draw him pictures when he was leaving for a deployment. Smiling at the memory, he almost could vividly feel the touch of his girls hugging him in unison. See his little boy waving for goodbye like it was yesterday. Suddenly feeling like he was a boat that had lost its way in a storm, he felt the agonizing pain of the loss of his boy once more.

He remembered how he had held Christine's hand on their wedding day. But this time around he couldn't see her face clearly. And as the priest had announced them as a husband and a wife, he had kissed her. The touch of her warm lips sent jolts through his body, but as he broke off from the embrace he looked at his bride. This time he could see her face, but it wasn't Christine he saw in front of him, it was Andrea. Whether it was a dream mixed with a memory, or a trick his mind played on him, he wasn't sure. Was there a meaning to it? Sighing in his dreamlike state he felt an ache in his heart.

Opening his eyes, he saw the light coming through the roof of the hut. He was still alive! A weight rolled off his chest as he realized he was still alive. But for how long?

He moved to look at his arm and saw the dried blood on it. The cannula still sticking out. _Blood_. They were taking his blood.. Puzzled by the discovery he had made, he noticed a person hang up the bag of blood, _his blood_ , to be received by the same mystery man. Why?

"You're a goddamn vampire." Mike said only to hear the mocking laughter of the man as his eyelids weighed down and the lights went out again.


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks to srp2017 for the suggestion for this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

x

Sitting on the couch of the hotel room occupied by Christine, Andrea felt like she didn't belong there. Christine had sent the girls down to get some food while they talked. A state of nervousness came over Andrea as she thought about how to tell Christine, but in the end she thought it was best to just cut to the heart of the matter.

"I gather you have some news?" Christine looked anxiously at Andrea who was sitting across from her, trying her best to not break the glass of water in her hands as she felt terrified, worried and nervous all at the same time, she was going to tell Christine that Mike was missing. The only thing she knew, was that he was missing. Was he alive? - A question she had thought over several times already, still no wiser. They could only hope for the best.

"Yes." Andrea stuttered out, suddenly aware of the nervous tone in her voice. She was after all worried sick about Mike, as she was sure Christine was too. Thoughts going back to wonder how Christine and Bill must have felt when she and Mike were presumably missing, yet safely in the Arctic, when the pandemic first hit.

"Mike's.. Mike's missing. I don't know where he is, or if.." Andrea looked straight at Christine, surprised that she found the strength to keep her voice steady while telling her.

"If he's alive.." The news hit Christine like a wave and Andrea could hear from the tone of her voice that she knew the severity of the situation, but could see that she might have gone through similar situations in the past. Mike had after all been a homicide detective in the police force, situations of danger was something Christine had been used to. But this? They didn't know anything.

"What happened?" Christine asked and met her eyes straight.

"There was an attack in Vietnam. They were at a celebratory party when it happened." Andrea told her and took a sip of water from her glass.

"Oh god.." Christine got up and started to pace around the room, slowly realizing what Andrea was telling her. Andrea placed the water glass on the table in front of her as she waited for her to speak.

"Are there any clues? Are they searching for them?" Christine asked, the desperation in her voice was clear. Whether it was for the sake of her children or because of the love she still had for Mike, Andrea was feeling uneasy right now. She caressed her swollen belly out of a comforting habit, not realizing that she was doing so in front of Christine.

"Tom is on the mission. That's all I know." Andrea managed to say, noticing Christine's awkward glance at her belly.

"The girls can't take yet another disappearance of their father." Christine sat down beside Andrea.

After a moment Christine spoke again. "Wait.. Tom? I thought he was in China, discussing about the cure. It was in the News." Christine looked at her and Andrea began feeling rather unwell at all this stress she was feeling right now. Still feeling rather shocked of the recent events and talking to Christine right now wasn't helping much.

"It's a long story.." Andrea said, feeling a dull pain over her abdomen. Holding her breath, she closed her eyes to regain her strength and thoughts. _This is not the time, Lucy._

"Are you okay?" She heard Christine's voice beside her and felt her hand reach hers. Right now the usually confident and bossy Chief of Engineering was gone, Andrea felt afraid, afraid that there was something wrong, afraid that she would lose the baby she had been longing so much.. Afraid that she would never see Mike again.

"I don't know." She held onto Christine's hand and felt the dull pain give way, not sure whether it would come again. Opening her eyes she saw Christine watching her like a hawk.

"Come on. I'll drive you to the hospital for a check." Christine helped her up and she was surprised that she was keeping her cool right now. She was a stronger woman than she had thought, but then again the pandemic has had that affect on people.

After their short drive to the hospital Andrea was examined by her doctor who then suggested that she would stay there overnight for observation and much needed rest. The dull pain had gotten slightly more worse on their drive over but it was getting easier to pull through as she was lying on the hospital bed. A soft knock on the door lifted her gaze from the TV in front of her and she pressed the 'mute' button on the remote.

"You're still here?" Andrea was startled to see Christine peak in as she didn't expect Christine to wait for her to be done.

"Hi, is everything okay?" Christine walked slowly inside the room.

"It was just Braxton Hicks, should've realized myself.. But it's best I stay overnight for observation." Andrea explained, and knew that Christine would know herself, having had three children.

"Thank you for driving me here, I know it must've been.. difficult.." Andrea added.

"It's okay.. I didn't have anyone to drive me when I was expecting Laura.. so.." Christine tried to mask her discomfort but Andrea knew she had trouble accepting that her husband was the father of Andrea's baby.

"Christine.." Andrea tried to say but she cut her off.

"I'm.. I'm trying to come to terms with the whole situation, but I need time, okay?" Christine said bluntly and Andrea saw the tears she was fighting back.

"So have you thought about a name..?" To Andrea's surprise Christine sat down on the chair beside her and tried her best to not talk about the elephant in the room. Focus on something else, which Andrea understood herself.

"Lucy." Andrea said the name warmly and a smile came on her face. She already loved this child so much.

"That's a nice name." Christine gave a weak smile.

"It's.." Andrea began, not sure whether her telling the origin of the name would cause more distress for Christine but she thought it might give her something, a comfort of sorts.

"It's combined from Lily and.. Lucas. The two kids we lost." Andrea said and saw the hurt in Christine's eyes, the same hurt she felt whenever she thought about her daughter. Her husband.

"It's nice." Christine managed to say and at that moment the TV that had been on mute in the background showed a footage of a familiar man. A man they both recognized. A man they both loved.

Andrea reached for the remote control to turn on the sound and she looked at the image completely stunned.

"Michael Slattery, Captain, United States Navy. Serial number 171811120."

"I and four members of my crew are prisoners of war."

Left completely speechless by the image in front her, she felt an ache in her heart to see him hurt. Being held captive. It was awful and the dull pain began building up in her stomach again.

"That's not his serial number.." Christine said with a distracted voice and Andrea turned to face her. Trying to make sense in all this, what the hell was going on in Asia?


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

x

Mike felt his heart racing more than it should. He did his best to hide the fact that they had just given out a clue to their whereabouts, but it was easy, anger wallowed through him more than the fact that he was scared. But what if it didn't work? What if _he figured it out?_

"So, Jeffrey Michener, you will hear my demands. There are two U.S. Navy destroyers at the port in Okinawa. You will order them to turn around and move out of Asian waters." Takehaya spoke to the camera.

"I have already executed one of your sailors."

The words he spoke hit Mike hard in the gut. It was something he had already suspected, even known to be true. But hearing it, realizing that this nightmare was the real deal and not just a bad dream, meant that Mason would never come back. It meant that he had lost yet another member of his crew.

"Do not test me. If you do not comply within 36 hours, the executions will continue."

Looking at his crew lined beside him, on their knees, he let out a heavy sigh. These were good people. Jeter.. Rios.. Diaz.. Miller..

He fought hard to repress his emotions, his worry, his heartbreak as he thought over Andrea, his girls and Christine.. How would they move on after his death? He couldn't help but think the worst possible outcome. What if he was next? What if he wasn't? The thought of letting someone else die on his watch, someone else than him, was frightening but at the same time he would have a chance to live on. With a heavy burden on his shoulders once again.

Bursting through his thoughts were the sudden sounds of Diaz and Miller as they were being tied up to a rope from their wrists and lifted just above the ground.

Hissing through his teeth, he wanted to do something, but as he watched the two sailors, he knew there was nothing he could do.. Nothing to save these sailors from taking a beating for their actions.

Mike watched as they recorded the whole thing, an obvious attempt to turn US citizens against the government if they wouldn't do as they demanded. Miller still had his mother.. If and when she would see this footage, it would do more than its job to convince everyone that the government had something to hide. After all he knew Michener would try and play it safe, keep the worst out of the news. But now it was too late.

Mike turned his icy glare towards Takehaya who kept watching the beating. Thinking he was victorious. Suddenly he met his gaze and he held his best steely look as they held eye contact for a moment.

But he couldn't help but be distracted as he heard the sound. Sound of a bone cracking and he heard Miller shout in pain as his ankle was broken.

 _Damn it kid!_ Should have kept his mouth shut.

* * *

Back in the small hut, Mike watched as Rios treated Miller's ankle as best he could. Sooner or later he would require proper care.

"We got to give the James a smaller target. Even if our trick with the coordinates worked, it's too much ocean to cover." Mike spoke, hoping they would manage to brainstorm a plan.

But as they sat there, he heard the steps, door crashing in as Takehaya's men came again. _Looking for blood._

"You, O-negative. On your feet." Hearing the words, he was already fired up to find a way to give the James a bearing. _Anything_. Master Chief said he only needed some kind of metal object to create a static at the radio tower Diaz found on his little outing.

As Mike surrendered himself to the two men escorting him, he couldn't help but find his thoughts going back home. To Christine and his girls. Would he ever see them again? This was all like the Arctic again, with only one difference - This time he knew they would still be alive. The crushing pain of not knowing whether his family was safe and sound, was gone. But it didn't make the situation any better, because this time they also knew what was happening to him. They had most certainly seen the hostage video by now.

And as he was placed on the familiar table, he felt the piercing pain of the needle going into his arm again. He winced and closed his eyes. Andrea.. His thoughts surrounded around Andrea and their unborn daughter. How would she manage to go on? She had already lost a family once.. But as he thought about this red haired fiery woman, he smiled for the briefest moment as he knew she was strong. Strong enough to survive through, even if he never made it back. His heart ached at the thought, the thought of not coming back from this, not getting to see her, to meet their daughter. He wondered how would Lucy look like, perhaps she would have Andrea's hair, his eyes, her nose, his chin..

The commotion outside the hut interrupted his thoughts and he saw Takehaya walk in.

"See something interesting, Captain?" Takehaya asked as Mike's eyes caught on the commotion going on outside.

"Looks like your boys scored some good loot." Mike saw the men carry supplies to the camp.

"What's with all the blood, anyway?" He asked. Trying his best to figure out why he was doing this, but he knew he most likely wouldn't get any answers.

"Cure not good enough for you?" Mike said, his voice slightly angry. Hoping for a reaction.

"The American cure is no cure." Was the bitter reply.

Mike followed Takehaya with his gaze, wondering if he would open up more.

"We were wiped out."

"Then you didn't have the real cure." Mike replied quickly. The real cure would have worked. He had witnessed it several times with his very own eyes. He knew what he spoke of.

"My dose." Takehaya reached for the pocket in his pants and pulled out a glass container.

"Made in USA." His voice still bitter, angry as he presented it to Mike.

"Doesn't make any sense.." Mike stared at the familiar glass container with a few drops of the cure at the bottom. _It was the real deal, but why didn't it work on him?_

"The virus would've killed me." Takehaya put the container back in his pocket as if it still was a evidence to carry around.

Knowing he couldn't go anywhere else, the needle stuck in his vein, taking his blood as they spoke. He had no choice but to listen.

"But I got lucky. I got shot. And needed a transfusion."

Mike heard the man speak in Japanese and it looked like he was about to be the recipient of his blood, fresh from the source it would seem. Feeling slightly weaker, Mike watched as the blood went through the IV-line straight to Takehaya.

"So I received a transfusion from a cured person. The next morning, the symptoms were gone." Takehaya told him and suddenly it all began to make sense.

"But, it didn't last." His voice continued and Mike met his gaze.

"That's why you started hunting for fresh blood." Mike said. It was all coming to him right now. _Just like Dr. Scott and her trial, it bought more time._

"Our blood. You went to a lot of trouble to get me and my people." Mike added, feeling dizzy. Trying to hold on to the table he sat on.

"Why us?" He asked, Although it was clear why. _Made in USA._ They were the ones who fought for the cure. A cure that supposedly was worthless here.

"You needed to pay for what you did to my country." Takehaya's voice got even more bitter, he was angry. Something he understood. Who wouldn't be? But there had to be an explanation.

"Look.." Mike began.

"We had reports of possible mutation. What if those reports are right? What you're doing is making things worse." Mike tried to plead to the man, hoping there was some humanity left in him.

"You can't sent ships back to America, you got to send them into Japan. Let them investigate. Our doctors will help. They'll help. I give you my word." Mike said.

"Your word means nothing." Takehaya ripped of the transfusion line and bandaged his arm as he took a step forward. Mike could see the hurt and anger show through his eyes. As Takehaya took his leave from the hut, Mike let out a sigh as he remembered a time when he had been exactly like him. Back when he had learned the truth about their mission in the Arctic.

But unlike Takehaya, his eyes were opened to the fact that they were fighting on the same side.

 _Your word means nothing._

They claimed to have the cure. _Which they have!_

He was a dead man walking. _Living half of life.. No wonder he seeked revenge._

Mike lied down on the table as he felt he was about to pass out. His eyes lingered on the key to their salvation. A piece of metal Jeter required.

Mike woke up again in the familiar hut and saw Jeter beside him, working with the metal wire, forming it to his need. _He had done it._ He couldn't remember half of it, but somehow he had managed to take the piece of metal with him.

"How long was I out?" Mike slowly got up to sit on the edge of the gurney, feeling the loss of blood.

"A couple of hours." Rios came beside him and checked his pulse. _A medical check he was sure to fail._

Hearing footsteps outside, Jeter quickly hid the metal wire under the gurney and Mike held his gaze at the door. Takehaya entered after his men. Walking straight toward him.

 _Something was wrong._

Mike stood up and met the man's glare.

"Michael Slattery, Captain. United States Navy.." Takehaya spoke with a tight voice, almost mocking his way of speaking as he studied his reaction. Mike swallowed hard and felt how to the color left his face. _He knew._

"I rewatched the video. Very clever."

 _Yeah, thought so._

"And very stupid."

 _That too._

"You have led your friends to their deaths." Takehaya spoke and left.

Mike sat down again. Feeling relieved that there was no punishment.

But no punishment meant that Takehaya most likely had a backup plan. They would have to work fast if they wanted to give the James a bearing. Before it was too late.


End file.
